Dis/placing Boundaries in the Romance World

Dis/placing Boundaries in the Romance World

November 19-20, 2010

Call for Papers

“Our firmest convictions are apt to be the most suspect; they mark our limits and our bounds. Life is a petty thing unless it is moved by the indomitable urge to extend its boundaries.”

(José Ortega y Gasset, The Dehumanization of Art, 1925)

Visible and invisible boundaries separate, define and classify places, people, beliefs and ways of thinking. These constructions encode dominant ideologies that are then reinforced through the hegemonic discourses of the cultures in which they are produced. Based on principles of inclusion and exclusion, boundaries shape identities by creating schisms between “I” and the “Other”, “here” and “there”, “us” and “them”. As they provide a framework through which to perceive the world, they perpetuate discourses of division. Yet, boundaries are relevant to understanding limitations and dependencies in relation to the “Other”. In an era of globalization, they may foster a sense of belonging within small-scale communities and shape local identities in resistance to the homogenizing forces of standardization.

This conference aims to open a space for dialogue on the role of the humanities in de/framing, de/stabilizing, dis/placing and re/forming boundaries. We welcome submissions from all applicable disciplines that shed light on the ways in which we can address or reshape our conceptions of the boundaries that connect and divide us.

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

▪Territorial Identities: Literary Crossings of National and Regional Boundaries

▪Gendering of the Text ▪ Rewritings and Translation as Trespass

▪ Gender Bending and Other Border Crossings

▪ The Body and its Limits ▪ Transgressing Genre(s)

▪ Digitalizing Literature: Transcending the Traditional Boundaries of the Book

▪ De/centering the Canon ▪ Creolization in the Romance World

▪ Ethical Frontiers: The Borderline between Self and the Other

▪Challenging Periodization: Literary, Historical, Philosophical Frames

▪ Blurring Categories of Class, Race, Ethnicity

We will also consider papers on other topics (not listed above) which relate to this year's theme. Presentations can be in English, Spanish, French or Italian and must be no more than 20 minutes long (8-9 double-spaced pages). A contribution of $25.00, to help meet the conference costs, will be required of the participants whose proposals will be accepted.

Please submit a 200-250-word abstract to displaceboundaries@uoregon.edu by September 15, 2010. In your abstract, please include name, email address, academic affiliation, and A/V requests.